Miami Dade College President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón to Receive National Citizen Service Award

Miami, February 7, 2012 -
Miami Dade College (MDC) President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón has been widely recognized for his superior leadership and caring mentorship. Last year, he was awarded the prestigious 2011 Carnegie Corporation Centennial Academic Leadership Award, among many others. Most recently, he has achieved a new milestone.

On Feb. 14, Dr. Padrón will accept the Citizen Service Award presented by Voices for National Service at an awards reception in Washington, D.C. alongside musician/actor Jon Bon Jovi, also being honored. The reception is co-hosted by The Corps Network. He is the first college president to receive the distinction and was nominated by Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents - representing some 6 million students - dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education.

The Citizen Service Award recognizes extraordinary support of national service and the important role civic engagement in higher education. Past honorees have included Caroline Kennedy, Rick Stengel of TIME, Lisa Paulson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Jeffrey Swartz of The Timberland Company, Bob Nardelli of The Home Depot, and Jean Case of The Case Foundation.

Dr. Padrón’s has served as president of Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest institution of higher education, since 1995. His energetic leadership also extends to many of the nation’s leading organizations. He is the chair of the prestigious American Council on Education and immediate past chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He also serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve; Council on Foreign Relations and the Business/Higher Education Forum among other major national organizations. During his career, he has also been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by six American Presidents, most recently as chair of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans by President Obama. Padrón was also recently named one of TIME magazine’s “10 Best College Presidents,” one of the eight most “influential college leaders” in the U.S. in the Washington Post and the “Floridian of the Year” by Florida Trend magazine.

President Padrón is the recipient of dozens of major awards during his four decade career including the “2008 Charles Kennedy Equity Award” from the Association of Community College Trustees; the “2008 Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award” of American Council on Education; the “2008 Innovator of the Year” from the League for Innovation; the “2005 Paul A. Elsner Award for International Excellence” from the Chair Academy; and others.

Internationally, President Padrón’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous nations and organizations including the Republic of France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; the Republic of Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin; and Spain’s King Juan Carlos II, who bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella.

Voices for National Service is a diverse coalition of national service programs, state commissions and individual champions committed to expanding opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve and volunteer. Founded in 2003, the coalition is the respected voice for the service community in Washington, DC, building strong bipartisan support among our nation’s leaders for national service as a viable policy solution to tackle unmet needs, expand opportunity, and leverage social capital. Drawing on the combined experience and knowledge of the service community, Voices for National Service played a key role in the development of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Miami Dade College is the nation’s largest institution of higher education with an enrollment of more than 174,000 students. It is also the nation’s top producer of associate in arts and science degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree programs including several baccalaureate degrees in education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film, engineering and others. In fact, its academic and workforce training programs have served as national models of excellence. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair International, Miami International Film Festival, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, a sculpture park and a large art gallery and theater system. MDC has served nearly 2,000,000 students since it opened its doors in 1960.

Miami Dade College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Miami Dade College.
Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin,
disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or genetic information. Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs/ADA Coordinator, at 305.237.2577 for information.